Possibly a step forward from The Boatman's Call, but far from being a return to form.

With patience, 13 reveals itself as sort of a poor man's OK Computer, only instead of Radiohead's airborne sonic journey through the future, Blur investigates the murk of its inner-city swamps.

For all its minimalist musical approach and inherent gloominess, Is A Woman over time proves a creative masterstroke.

An odd, almost schizophrenic collection.

On Pawn she chooses to rock, but in her own unique swinging way. Her songs are not ballads, but epics of rock, classical and postmodern music.

Of Montreal are at least three indie subfads too late.

The record could quite possibly be one of the best of the year with a dash of self-control.

The true strength of Elephant Shoe lies in its transcendent quality, in its ability to sweep you away with its hypnotic beauty and transport you to the heights of your own imagination.

A maddeningly ambitious album, Lifted fits into the pantheon of the great concept records of the past few years, joining the likes of The Flaming Lips' The Soft Bulletin, and Neutral Milk Hotel's In The Aeroplane Over The Sea.

The album is arguably better than the group's much-heralded debut, if by "better" we just mean more sonically impressive overall.

Tweedy, O'Rourke and Kotche push each other in exciting directions, with songs building on the contributions of each.

Retains the experience of its formative years in the heyday of psychedelic collective Elephant Six, but expresses itself in more of a straightforward manner, with a set of agreeable pop-rock tunes.

Sounds how Radiohead should sound live: brutal (the cacophonous sample layering in “Everything in its Right Place”), catchy (the bass line of “I Might Be Wrong”), danceable (the beats on “Idioteque”) and mesmerizing (the simplicity of “True Love Waits”).

Many adjectives have been thrown around in reference to this latest album: lush, atmospheric, beautiful, summery, melodic. All apply. This is R.E.M.'s pop record.

GBV have made a record that should please any fan still listening.

Despite the presence of a few misses, When I Was Cruel will be well worth the purchase for anyone still trying to work their way through All This Useless Beauty. It's a straightforward, catchy, and of course smart record from the meanest man in the British Isles.

With her second solo album, Timony returns to earth, revitalized by a renewed sense of adulthood, while continuing the experiments with mood and texture.

While Live In New York City does nothing to diminish Bruce and his bandmates’ reputation as one of rock history’s finest live acts, it doesn’t offer many listeners a substantial reward for purchase.

Its boisterous, melodic rock is invigorating to hear from a storm-weathered, 24-year old band.

Effortless, breathy pop music that you just have to close your eyes and smile to.

It is hard to shake the feeling that these songs may actually be leftovers.

Vapor Trails is a great, straight-forward hard rock album from a band that actually seems to be getting better as it ages.

While not every song is a gem, the ones that are have pushed the band's already high standard of compelling indie pop one notch higher.

Twelve songs of quality, with an impeccable overall arrangement.

Unfortunately, talent alone doesn't always make a great record, and Howdy! lacks the excitement to put it in that category.

Amazingly, the entire package coalesces without sounding tacky, no matter how funhouse-quirky the instrumentation gets.

What is really so special about Gotham! is its infectiousness.

Once again, the enthusiasm of the delivery and the fun of being absorbed into the music belies the fact that the group's four members are amazingly talented at what they do.